Windfaerer put out a debut five years ago with Tribus that was far too post-everything to catch my attention, but then they caught me off-guard with their Solar EP in '12 and really blew me away with the leap in songwriting and direction. I had hopes for their second full-length, which Tenebrosum fulfills with room to spare.

Windfaerer take a bit off Moonsorrow, a bit off Finsterforst, and a touch of Cascadian Black Metal to produce their own, riff-fueled sound. They mix in violins to add to the melancholy atmosphere, and then they build all of that into towering compositions of sound and feeling. If you are worried that doesn't sound metal enough, believe me, it is. These songs are guitar-driven, with a powerful, smoldering sound and shit-tons of great riffs. Vocals are a deep-voiced bellow, mixed properly so it does not overwhelm, but accents the music.

This is just a first-rate album, delivering on all the promise of the Solar EP and forging further into new territory with spectacular riffs and killer songwriting. This is one of the best albums of 2015, no question.